Gerber Legendary Blades
Encyclopedia
Gerber Legendary Blades is a maker of consumer knives
and multitool
s headquartered in Tigard
, Oregon
, United States, within the Portland metropolitan area
. Currently Gerber is a sub-division of Fiskars Brands Inc, owned by the Fiskars
company of Finland
. Gerber was established in 1939 by Pete Gerber, and has a reputation for making quality knives of innovative design, designed by famous knifemakers. Gerber was the first Production knife company to collaborate with a custom knife maker when it collaborated with David Murphy
.
. While working for the family business, Joseph Gerber mailed 24 sets of kitchen knives to clients during the holidays. These handmade knives were very popular, with then catalog retailer Abercrombie & Fitch
requesting more of these knives from Gerber to sell in their catalog in 1939. Gerber then left the advertising business and started Gerber Legendary Blades that same year.
In 1966, the company relocated to a new headquarters next to Interstate 5
in what is now Tigard. Finnish company Fiskars purchased the private company in 1987. Chad Vincent was hired as chief executive officer in July 2001. By 2003 the company employed 300 people and had revenues near $100 million and was the second leading seller of multitools in the United States.
Designers who have since designed knives for Gerber include: Bob Loveless
, Paul Poehlmann, Blackie Collins
, William Harsey Jr.
, Fred Carter, Rick Hinderer, Brad Parrish, Ernest Emerson
and Matt Larsen
. Former Gerber employees who started their own successful knife companies include Al Mar
and Pete Kershaw
. Gerber built a line of folding knives based on designs of Rex Applegate
.
Examples of designs by Gerber are the "bolt action" locking system designed by Blackie Collins, the unique front opening action of the Gerber multitools, and the push button locking Paul knives of Paul Poehlmann. Also unusual are Gerber's niche market products, such as the Clip-it diving knives.
Gerber has been innovative with technologies and materials such as light but tough injection molded Zytel
handles, Kraton
rubber on handles for enhanced grip, ATS 34 and AUS 8 high carbon stainless steel
s, and titanium nitride
coatings. For his work and Gerber's impact on the cutlery industry, Pete Gerber was inducted into the Blade Magazine
Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 1985 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia
.
. This line includes the Ultimate Survival Tool as well as several other pieces. Grylls even uses the knife on the show Man Vs. Wild
.
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
and multitool
Gerber multitool
A Gerber multitool is a compact multi-function tool made by Gerber Legendary Blades, part of the Fiskars Corporation.There are similarities and differences between the Gerber multitool and tools made by Leatherman. Some of the Gerber tools are accessed by opening the handles, but unique to Gerber...
s headquartered in Tigard
Tigard, Oregon
Tigard is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 48,035 at the 2010 census. As of 2007, Tigard was the state's 12th largest city. Incorporated in 1961, the city is located south of Beaverton and north of Tualatin, and is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States, within the Portland metropolitan area
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
. Currently Gerber is a sub-division of Fiskars Brands Inc, owned by the Fiskars
Fiskars
The Fiskars Corporation is a metal and consumer brands company founded in 1649 at Fiskars Bruk , a locality now in the town of Raseborg, Finland, about 100 km west of Helsinki on the old main road from Turku to Vyborg...
company of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Gerber was established in 1939 by Pete Gerber, and has a reputation for making quality knives of innovative design, designed by famous knifemakers. Gerber was the first Production knife company to collaborate with a custom knife maker when it collaborated with David Murphy
Murphy knives
Murphy Knives was a knife manufacturing company founded by custom knife maker David "Dave" Zephaniah Murphy. Murphy was best known as the original supplier of knives to the Gerber Legendary Blade Knife Company in 1938. Murphy's knives had a distinctive aluminum handle which was later used on many...
.
History
In 1910, the Gerber family started an advertising firm in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. While working for the family business, Joseph Gerber mailed 24 sets of kitchen knives to clients during the holidays. These handmade knives were very popular, with then catalog retailer Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....
requesting more of these knives from Gerber to sell in their catalog in 1939. Gerber then left the advertising business and started Gerber Legendary Blades that same year.
In 1966, the company relocated to a new headquarters next to Interstate 5
Interstate 5 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, Interstate 5 traverses the state from north to south, passing through the major cities of Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Medford.-Route description:...
in what is now Tigard. Finnish company Fiskars purchased the private company in 1987. Chad Vincent was hired as chief executive officer in July 2001. By 2003 the company employed 300 people and had revenues near $100 million and was the second leading seller of multitools in the United States.
Designs
Bob Loveless
Robert Waldorf Loveless , aka Bob Loveless or RW Loveless, was an American knife maker who designed and popularized the hollowground drop point blade and the use of full tapered tangs and screw-type handle scale fasteners within the art of knifemaking...
, Paul Poehlmann, Blackie Collins
Blackie Collins
Walter Wells Collins or Blackie Collins was an American knife maker who designed and popularized the assisted opening mechanism and various automatic knife designs within the art of knifemaking...
, William Harsey Jr.
William Harsey Jr.
William Harsey, Jr. is an award-winning American knifemaker and designer who works with several knife companies, including Gerber Legendary Blades, Lone Wolf Knives, and Chris Reeve Knives.-Personal history:...
, Fred Carter, Rick Hinderer, Brad Parrish, Ernest Emerson
Ernest Emerson
Ernest R. Emerson is an American custom knifemaker, martial artist, and edged-weapons expert. Originally an engineer and machinist in the aerospace industry, Emerson became a knifemaker known for making decorative knives but later became better known for his combat knives, eventually founding a...
and Matt Larsen
Matt Larsen
Matt Larsen is a United States Army Ranger and Combatives instructor known as "The Father of Modern Combatives" for creating the United States Army's modern combatives doctrine and establishing the U.S. Army Combatives School...
. Former Gerber employees who started their own successful knife companies include Al Mar
Al Mar Knives
Al Mar Knives is a production knife company headquartered in Tualatin, Oregon, United States. Al Mar Knives was established in 1979 by Al Mar, and has a reputation for making tactical knives of innovative design. While headquartered in the United States, Al Mar Knives are made in Japan.-Al Mar:Al...
and Pete Kershaw
Kershaw Knives
Kershaw Knives is a multinational corporation that designs and manufactures a range of knives, including kitchen cutlery, pocket knives, and outdoor knives...
. Gerber built a line of folding knives based on designs of Rex Applegate
Rex Applegate
Rex Applegate was an American military officer who worked for the Office of Strategic Services, where he trained Allied special forces personnel in close-quarters combat during World War II. He held the rank of colonel....
.
Examples of designs by Gerber are the "bolt action" locking system designed by Blackie Collins, the unique front opening action of the Gerber multitools, and the push button locking Paul knives of Paul Poehlmann. Also unusual are Gerber's niche market products, such as the Clip-it diving knives.
Gerber has been innovative with technologies and materials such as light but tough injection molded Zytel
Zytel
Zytel is a trademark owned by DuPont and used for a number of different high strength, abrasion and impact resistant thermoplastic polyamide formulations of the family more commonly known as nylon, often with varying degrees of fiberglass, from 13% to 60%, added in for additional stiffness.Some of...
handles, Kraton
Kraton (polymer)
Kraton is the trade name given to a number of high performance elastomers manufactured by Kraton Polymers , and used as synthetic replacements for rubber. Kraton polymers offers many of the properties of natural rubber, such as flexibility, high traction, and sealing abilities, but with increased...
rubber on handles for enhanced grip, ATS 34 and AUS 8 high carbon stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
s, and titanium nitride
Titanium nitride
Titanium nitride is an extremely hard ceramic material, often used as a coating on titanium alloys, steel, carbide, and aluminium components to improve the substrate's surface properties....
coatings. For his work and Gerber's impact on the cutlery industry, Pete Gerber was inducted into the Blade Magazine
Blade (magazine)
Blade is a long-running consumer magazine about knife collecting.First published in 1973 under the title American Blade by Southern House Publishing Co. with Blackie Collins as the editor, the magazine's title was changed to Blade in 1982 after its purchase by Jim Parker and Bruce Voyles...
Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 1985 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Partnership
Gerber has a new line of knives and tools in partnership with Bear GryllsBear Grylls
Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls is an English adventurer, writer and television presenter. He is best known for his television series Man vs. Wild, known as Born Survivor in the United Kingdom...
. This line includes the Ultimate Survival Tool as well as several other pieces. Grylls even uses the knife on the show Man Vs. Wild
Man vs. Wild
Man vs. Wild, also called Born Survivor: Bear Grylls, Ultimate Survival, or Survival Game, is a survival television series hosted by Bear Grylls on the Discovery Channel. In the United Kingdom, the series was originally shown on Channel 4, but later series were broadcast on Discovery Channel UK...
.
Famous models
There are many different models of Gerber knives, including:- the Gerber Guardian: A boot knifeBoot knifeA boot knife or a gambler's dagger is a small fixed-blade knife that is designed to be carried in or on a boot. Typically, such a knife is worn on a belt or under a pant leg. If worn around the neck they become a neck knife. Boot knives generally come with a sheath that includes some form of a...
designed by knife maker Bob LovelessBob LovelessRobert Waldorf Loveless , aka Bob Loveless or RW Loveless, was an American knife maker who designed and popularized the hollowground drop point blade and the use of full tapered tangs and screw-type handle scale fasteners within the art of knifemaking...
more than twenty years ago. - the Gerber Mark IIGerber Mark IIThe Gerber Mark II is a fighting knife manufactured by Gerber Legendary Blades from 1967 to 2000, with an additional limited run of 1500 in 2002, and full production resuming as of July 2008...
:A fighting knifeCombat knifeA combat knife is a fighting knife designed solely for military use and primarily intended for hand-to-hand or close combat fighting.Since the end of trench warfare, most military combat knives have been secondarily designed for utility use in addition to their original role as close-quarter combat...
. - the Gerber multitoolGerber multitoolA Gerber multitool is a compact multi-function tool made by Gerber Legendary Blades, part of the Fiskars Corporation.There are similarities and differences between the Gerber multitool and tools made by Leatherman. Some of the Gerber tools are accessed by opening the handles, but unique to Gerber...
- the LMF II ASEK, or Aircrew Survival and Egress Knife
- the Gerber Gator - A single blade lockback knife with an ergonomic thermoplastic handle molded to resemble alligator skin.
- The Gerber/Emerson Alliance - The first automatic knifeSwitchbladeA switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in the handle which is opened automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated A switchblade (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, switch, Sprenger, Springer,...
made by either company is based on the profile of Emerson Knives, Inc.Emerson Knives, Inc.Emerson Knives, Inc. is a production knife company founded in 1996 by custom knifemaker Ernest Emerson in an effort to mass produce his folding knife designs for the US Military and Collector markets.-History:...
's earlier Raven knife design and is an issued item to certain military units under the NSN (NATO Stock Numbers): 5110-01-516-3243 and 5110-01-516-3244.
External links
- Gerber Legendary Blades official site
- Gerber Military official site
- Fiskars (the parent company of Gerber)